Programmable Thermostat ad High Steam Bills

Terry Young

I recently installed a programmable thermostat in an apt. The boil is a new Weil Mclain and I have had really high gas bills because of high usage. It was a Honeywell and is compatible with steam. Is it possible that this could be related to the high bills? If so, how? I don't live in the building, so I don't know how often the furnace cycles on. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

Unknown

oh nooooo, the dreaded \" f\" word....

Arrghhh, another one using the word " furance" for boiler.....
The new steam boiler from any company must be piped properly and you will have many different problems with it. Can you post any picture of boiler and its near pipings? The thermostat is only what its supposed to do, turn the heat on or off at preset temps.

jp_2

YES!!!

the tstat is forcing the occupants to open windows thus drivng up costs!!!!!

gotta see how whoever has the tstat setup/programmed.

Terry Young

I just went over and looked at it again. I went back through the set up menu and noticed that I hadn't set it for a steam system. It was set for a forced hot air system which is a preset when you buy the thermostat. Could that cause the system to run more? One plumber I spoke with said he didn't think that would have made a huge difference in the usage. Your thoughts?

Leo

You say

You say the boiler is new. Did the problem start when the boiler was replaced or the thermostat was replaced? Were they done at the same time? Are the tenants too hot or too cold? You may have boiler issues not thermostat issues.

Leo

Leo

You say

You say the boiler is new. Did the problem start when the boiler was replaced or the thermostat was replaced? Were they done at the same time? Are the tenants too hot or too cold? You may have boiler issues not thermostat issues.

Leo

Leo

You say

You say the boiler is new. Did the problem start when the boiler was replaced or the thermostat was replaced? Were they done at the same time? Are the tenants too hot or too cold? You may have boiler issues not thermostat issues.

Leo

Leo

You say

You say the boiler is new. Did the problem start when the boiler was replaced or the thermostat was replaced? Were they done at the same time? Are the tenants too hot or too cold? You may have boiler issues not thermostat issues.

Leo

GW

many things

It could be a lame boiler install, bad air vents, your building has too many holes in it (maybe some joker left an attic access hole loose), boiler too small, no pipe insulation in the basement, someone took out some radiators causing the system to run like a dog, tennants opening windows/doors, pehaps more.

Gary

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Terry Young

No, to all of the above. Problem started before the new boiler was put in. The new boiler was a response to the high bills. No radiators were removed, the tenants don't open the windows, no hatches left open, one apartement doesn't heat the other, the gas lines aren't crossed..the install was checked by two different contrators, other than the ones who put it in and they both said it was done right. The pipes are insulated, the attic is insulated, and all of the windows are replacement vinyl windows. I can't remember if the problem started with the thermostat. I know one tenant who had the heat on all day and no clue had a high bill, he moved and I believe I added the programmable thermostat then. It has been a two year battle with the utility and they claim it hs nothing to dowith them because the bills are normal in the summer, which is true. It is a mystery.

David Efflandt_2

What was default cycles per hr?

It is possible that the boiler was running for a short enough time that it was heating the mains and pipes, but barely getting to the radiators. So it was running often maybe long enough to consume energy and make steam, but not long enough to transfer much heat.

Anything shorter than 1 cycle/hr is too short for me in mild weather when my boiler may not run for hours (cools down taking a little longer to make steam). Although, when the temperature heads for zero and the boiler runs often enough to steam immediately, 3 cycles/hr can be a little more comfortable. But I am just a homeowner with missing main vents experimenting a bit.

A plumber is probably the wrong profession to ask about steam heat.

HydroAirJoe

Yes. The default setting, forced hot air means the stat will call for heat up to 6 times/hour. For steam, this should only be 1/hour.